Light regulating device



Oct. 10, 1933. L. s. SIMON 1,930,254

LIGHT REGULATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 yay-f 7. Zj

INVENToR.

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ATTORNEY C. 10, 1933. S|MON LIGHT REGULATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 19313 Sheets-Sheet 3 f 7'y 7J 76V INVENTOR. @5M

By WMM TTORN Patented Oct. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEApplication August 1s, 1931.' serial No. 557,855

'c1aims. (ci. 18s-s2) This invention relates to a novel and improvedmeans for regulating the passage of light and incidentally of air, andthe novel features will be best understood from the following descrip- 5tion and the annexed drawings, in which I have shown selectedembodiments of the invention, and in Which: Y

Fig. 1 is a more orless diagrammatic view in section through a skylighthaving my invention applied thereto. Y

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale, and taken approximately on theline 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view on the line 3-3 of Figs. 2 and 4.

Fig. 4 is a view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but on a larger scale.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through a building having aslightly different embodiment of the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, the numeral 1 designates theWalls of an opening, here shown as being in the roof of a building. Forthe sake of convenience, I may hereafter use the terms horizontal andvertical, but this is only for the sake of convenience, as it will bereadily understood by those skilled in the art that the invention may beemployed either in the roof of a building or in a vertical Wall thereofor in any other location where found applicable. The terms horizontaland vertical are therefore not to be construed in any manner aslimiting, but merely as relative.

rl'he roof shown in the drawings is provided with a skylight 2 indicatedas formed of a plurality of panels 3 separated by ribs or beams 4, andit is understood that light will normally pass through the panels 3 andthrough the opening bounded by the Walls 1. This opening may beseparated by a plurality of transversely extending beams 5, although, ofcourse, if the opening is a small one, such beams may be omitted.

The beams 5 may conveniently be used as supports for Vmy lightcontrolling devices, which are indicated in Fig. 1 at 6. Each deviceconsists of .a plurality of vanes 7, and these vanes are disposed acrossthe opening. In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, one device is shown as extendingbetween the two supports 5, and one between each of said supports andthe adjacent Wall 1, upon which is formed a shoulder 8 for a purposewhich will presently appear. In the form shown, each support 5 islikewise provided with a shoulder 9.

On the Walls 1 and on the supports 5 are mount- '55 ed members 10 inwhich are disposed bearings 11, and in these bearings are disposedshafts l2 extending across the opening. For the sake of convenience, theword opening will be used hereafter to refer to any space. across whichthe vanes extend, in this instance the space between a wall 1 and one ofthe supports 5 being spe.- ciilcally referred to. y

The vanes 7 are spaced apart as indicated in Fig. 4, and when light ispassing thrllghthe opening, the vanes may occupy the vertical posi- 66tion shown in Fig. 4, which maybe conveniently defined as a positionparallel to the walls of the opening. The vanes are shown as rectangularin form and having a top edge 1-3 and a bottom edge 14 and ends 15 and16 formed .of rigid-members. 79 The ends are connected together atbothtop and bottom by means of plates 17 and 18, .these plates being shownin the form of ,angle plates.. having theirvertically extending legspivoted to the ends .of the vanes, these ends here being 75.. shown asangle plates. With this arrangement, it will be seen that all of thevanes are held in relation parallel to each other, regardless of howthey are disposed withrrelation to the horizontal or vertical. It isunnecessary to have Aeach vane provided with a shaft 12, and therefore,in the drawings, I have shown only certain of the vanes thus equipped.Enough shafts 12 are provided to support the .entire device, and theplates 17 and 18 .support the vanes intermediate the shafts. 85

Preferably, the top side 13 .of v.each Vvaine is formed as a flangeextending in one direction from the vane, and the bottom side 14 isformed as a flange extending in the` ,opposite direction, whereby, whenthe vanes are folded toa position such as shown in .dotted lines in Fig.4, these flanges may .overlap to form lalight seal. The position vshowninr dotted lines in Fig. 4may conveniently .be defined as a position`substantially normal to the walls of the opening. 'The 95 flange sides13 and 14 add rigidity to the varies, which may be made of sheetmaterial, ,and in order to further strengthen the vanes, these anges arefolded back at their .edges as indicated at 19. When the vanes'arevformed of flexible ma- 1&0 terial, such as canvas, they may bemaintained taut by lmeans of a spring V 20 acting 'between'a collar .21on the shaft 12 and one .of the ends of the Vane.

In order to provide further against leakage of M6 light, the vaneadjacent the end wall of the opening has its flange received behind anoverlapping projection 22 upon the wall. The plates 17 and 18 are alsoof such form and arrangement that when the vanes are brought to theposition shown 3.30

in dotted lines in Fig. 4 and in fu11 unes in Fig. 5, the adjacent edges17 and 18 of these plates will substantially contact as plainly shown inFig. 5. These edges may be provided with notches 23 to receive shafts12. The plate 17 adjacent a wall 1 is provided with an outwardlyextending leg as plainly shown in Fig. 3, this leg cooperating with themember 10 as shown in dotted lines at the left of Fig. 3, to form alight seal, and, similarly, the plate 18 adjacent the support 5 in Fig.3 will, when brought to the dotted line position shown in that figure,cooperate with the member 10 on the support 5, to form another lightseal at that point. At the supports 5,.a still further sealing means maybe provided in the form'of a plate 24 connecting adjacent plates 17.

In operation, when the maximum amount of light is required, the vanesmay be brought to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 and inAdotted lines in Fig. 5, or to any other position best adapted to passlight, and then the amount of light may be regulated by rotating thevanes together with respect to the vertical position shown in Fig. 4,either clockwise or counterclockwise. The minimum amount of light isobtained when the vanes are brought to the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 4 and in full lines in Fig. 5. The vanes may be operatedtogether by any suitable means, here shown as a pulley 25, se-

" cured to one of the shafts 12 and operated by a belt 26 from a secondpulley 27 on a shaft 28, which may be operated by any'suitable means,not shown.

Y In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown a slightly different embodiment, in which adevice 6 is mounted parallel to and immediately beneath a pitchedskylight 2', at the lower end of which is a depending structural member29 having a flange 30 adapted to cooperate with a anged side of one of lthe vanes 7. Y At the peak ofthe roof is another structural member 31having a flange 32 to cooperate with a flanged side of the adjacent vane7. In this instance, I have indicated a device 6 on either side of thepeak of the roof, and each may be operated by means of a pulley 33 onone of the shafts 12, this pulley being operated by a cable 34 from ahand crank 35, it being understood that the arrangement shown may beduplicated on the other side of the building. In

^ this embodiment, 'an intermediate support 5 is shown in Fig. 7, and aprojection 37 is shown adjacent the wall in position to cooperate withthe outwardly extending leg on the plate 17. In other respects, thisembodiment operates in the same manner as that first described, andfurther detailed description will therefore be omitted.

While I have shown the invention as embodied in a specific form, it isto be understood that various changes in details may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, and I therefore do not intendto limit myself except by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a plurality of parallel vanesextending across an opening, means for moving said vanes in unison frompositions substantially parallel to the walls of the opening topositions substantially normal to said walls, in the second of whichpositions said vanes closely overlap to prevent passage of lighttherebetween, plates pivoted to the ends of said vanes adjacent oppositesides thereof and arranged to substantially contact with each other whenthe vanes are in said second position, and overlapping elements carriedby the vanes and wall and adapted to prevent passage of light betweenthe ends of said vanes and the adjacent walls of said opening when thevanes are in said second position.

2. In a device of the class described, a plurality of parallel vanesextending across an opening, means for moving said vanes in unison frompositions substantially parallel to the walls of the'opening topositions substantially normal toY said walls, in the second of whichpositions said vanes closely overlap to prevent passage of lighttherebetween, plates pivoted to the ends of said vanes adjacent oppositesides thereof and arranged to substantially' contact withV each otherwhen the vanes are in said second position, the adjacent walls of saidopening having projections adjacent the ends of the vanes, and at leastone of said plates having an outwardly extending flange overlapping oneof said projections to prevent the passage of light.

3. In a device of the class described, a plurality of parallel vanesextending across an opening, means for moving said vanes in unison fromf positions substantially parallel to the walls of the opening Atopositions substantially normal to said walls, in the second of whichpositions said vanes closely overlap to prevent passage of lighttherebetween, plates pivoted to the ends of said vanes adjacent oppositesides thereof and arranged to substantially contact with each otherwhenfthe vanes are in said second position, shafts supporting certain ofsaid vanes, and said plates having notches adapted to receive saidshafts when the vanes are in said second position.

4. In a device of the class described, a plurality of parallel vanesextending across an opening, means for moving said vanes in unison frompositions substantially parallel to the walls of the opening topositions substantially normal to said walls, in the second of whichpositions said vanes overlap, plates pivoted to the ends of said vanesadjacent opposite sides thereof and arranged to substantially contactwith each other when the vanes are in said second position, shaftssupporting certain of said vanes, and the other vanes being supportedentirely from the plates secured to the vanes which have shafts.

5. In a device for controlling passage of light, a vane formed of exiblematerial and rigid end members to which said material is connected, ashaft rotatably supporting said end members to cause them to move inunison, a collar on said shaft, and a spring acting between said collarand one of said end members to stretch said material taut, said endmember being slidable on the shaft and the opposite end member securedthereto.

LESTER S. SIMON.

